


Fix it!

by hannahfanficrobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Conversations, Gen, Getting Back Together, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:04:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6882778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahfanficrobron/pseuds/hannahfanficrobron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Monday's episode, a multi chapter from each characters perspective, trying to get our boys back together!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aaron

Aaron groaned as he tossed and turned yet again on the limited space the sofa provided. He’d slept, but not well and not for long. He’d tried to sleep in bed, but after twenty minutes realised that was impossible. The mattress was slightly dipped on Robert’s side of the bed, where he should be lying, the pillow still smelled of his shampoo, and the sheets still carried the scent of them together. With all those reminders, the ache in his heart of not having Robert next to him gave him, Aaron had given up and gone downstairs, trying to sleep on the sofa instead. With limited success.

Chas came in and flicked the light on, making Aaron groan as his eyes struggled to adjust to the light. She looked at him in surprise.

“What’re you doing down here?” she asked as Aaron sat up, rubbing his face while she switched the kettle on.

“Couldn’t sleep upstairs,” Aaron said gruffly.

“Robert not here?” she asked, getting to the point quickly.

“No,” he grunted. “I ended it.”

“You did what?” Chas asked in surprise. She wasn’t Robert’s number one fan by any means, but she couldn’t believe what he would have done that would have been that terrible that Aaron would leave him. “What did he do now?”

“He… “ Aaron shrugged. “I overheard him. He told Charity he’d talk me into taking Gordon’s money. I… snapped.”

“Aaron…”

“I know,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face in agitation.

“That’s not nearly the worst thing he’s done,” Chas said, unable to believe that that was what made Aaron leave him. Even though her son had clearly been emotional and touchy yesterday after visiting the mortuary.

“Look, leave it,” Aaron said firmly. “It’s over, that’s it. All right?” Aaron got up, throwing the blanket over the back of the sofa. “I’m going for a run.” It was barely even daylight outside, but Chas didn’t argue. There was no talking to him when he got like this. She just hoped he didn’t push it too far.

 


	2. Robert

Robert hadn’t slept. He’d tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed in Victoria‘s spare room, alternatively angry and then crying for what he’d lost. _Aaron_. How could he throw them away? Robert understood that he’d been hurt, angry, whatever else he was feeling, but to just give up on them? He would never, could never do that. Even as that ran through his mind, he realised he had. Last year when he was pretending that Aaron didn’t mean to him what he clearly did. But they’d moved past that, hadn’t they?

Robert couldn’t leave Aaron alone to hurt. When he felt like he was making a mistake, or like the letter, knew something would hurt him, Robert was the kind of person who would step in. But the problem was Aaron was seeing it as controlling, stopping him having his own choices. Aaron didn’t see it for what it was, Robert loved him too much to let him hurt himself over and over again. Every cut on his body hurt Robert. Every time he touched Aaron’s skin, a part of him was reminded of how much Aaron had hated himself at one point. How much he hadn’t been able to cope with the pain of the past. Of course Robert would try to protect him from more pain. Wasn't that what everyone did for the people they loved?

At half past six, he gave up on sleep, went downstairs and turned the kettle on, making himself a cup of tea. It took about five minutes for Victoria to join him.

“Oh,” she said, seeing him with his shoulders hunched, hands wrapped around his mug. “You slept here?” Vic asked.

“Apparently,” he said shortly.

“Sorry, I’m only asking because I’ve barely seen you over the last month.”

“Well, get used to it,” Robert said. “Aaron…” His voice came out soft on his lovers name, without intending to. He swallowed the pain away and tried again. It’d been more than twelve hours and voicing it still felt impossible. Like saying it would make it real. “He ended things between us.” Voicing it felt horrible, the pain in his chest almost overwhelming. He’d barely even had Aaron to lose, but now there was no hope. 

Victoria sighed and sat down opposite him at the kitchen table. “What did you do?”

Robert exploded. Vic watched open mouthed as he punched the table, got up so fast that the chair tipped over and glared at her. “Why does it always have to be me?!” he said. “Couldn’t it just be that he’s a stubborn idiot?”

“Sorry,” Vic said when she managed to close her jaw. “C… calm down, Robert.”

“Sorry,” Robert said, realising that he’d scared her as he righted the chair and sat back down. “I’m just… hurt.”

“He won’t mean it,” she said, trying to be comforting.

“I know you mean well,” Robert said. “But he meant it. He told me to get out of his house and out of his life. Can’t see a way back from that.”

“Give him time to cool off,” Victoria said. “You know what he’s like when he’s upset.”

“Yeah, I do,” Robert said. When Aaron was hurting, he hurt himself. And apparently Robert too in the process. “It’s not working Vic. He won’t… allow himself to need me. It’s…” God, this hurt. “It’s over.”

“Give him some time,” Vic repeated. “He’s been through a lot.”

“Yeah, I know,” Robert said loudly. “And I’ve been with him every step of the way. Until he pushes me away. He doesn’t… want me. Not really.” Voicing that hurt like hell. Right now, he would rather be shot, because the pain from that would eventually end. He couldn’t see a way that this pain in his chest would ever stop. “I need to go.” It was too early for him to be at work, but he couldn’t stay sat here arguing about the end of his relationship with his sister. He had to stop going over it, going over the agony that Aaron’s words had caused him. If he didn’t say the words out loud, he could do his best to pretend it hadn’t happened. For a few minutes at least.


	3. Chas

After Aaron had been gone for twenty minutes, Chas made a decision. She couldn’t bear the fact that Aaron was running again. He did it to punish himself, she knew that. And she hated that her son was always so hard on himself, he… for some reason, he needed to feel the pain when things got tough.

She briefly asked Charity to make sure Liv got to school along with Noah, knowing that it would only be a fifty fifty shot as to whether Liv actually went in to school, but she didn’t care. She needed to have a conversation with Robert right now, and it couldn’t wait. She knocked on Victoria’s door, waiting.

“Is he here?” she asked, when Victoria answered the door in her dressing gown.

“Robert? No, he’s… I don’t know where he is,” she said sighing. “Gone to get some fresh air?” she suggested.

“He told you?”

“Yeah,” Vic said briefly. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I have a few choice words,” Chas said, forcing a smile. “But as he’s not here…”

“I am here.” Chas turned, seeing Robert holding a coffee cup from Bobs as he pushed his way past them both into the house. Chas looked at Victoria pointedly and she stepped aside.

“I’ll go upstairs,” she said, wanting to get rid of her presence, especially if they were going to shout. Chas and Robert didn’t normally get on after all, and with Aaron not even on Rob‘s side any more…

Robert took the top off the coffee, sat down and took a sip before he even looked at Chas. And even then his eyes just flicked at her before he looked away. “What do you want?”

“I’m not here to fight,” she said, sitting opposite him. “Just to talk.”

“Hm,” Robert said, with no amusement. “I can’t think what we have to talk about,” he added sarcastically.

“He’s hurt, but he doesn’t mean it,” Chas said.

“You didn’t hear him,” Robert said, shaking his head. “Trust me, he meant it.”

“Look, Robert, he might have meant it at the time but…” Chas shook her head. “You didn’t see him when he came out of the mortuary.”

“No, I didn’t,” Robert said. “But from his reaction at home… the pub,” he edited. It wasn’t his home, would never be his home. That had been made crystal clear. “From his reaction, I can guess it didn’t go well.”

“He was really upset,” Chas said. “I'm wondering if he might even start hurting himself again.”

“He isn’t, is he?” Chas felt relieved, because for the first time since she’d started talking to him it seemed like he cared. His eyes had gone wide, needing to know the answer. Good. She wanted to get under his skin, make him see that giving up on Aaron wasn’t a good idea.

“He’s running again.” Robert closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Both of them knew what that meant. He ran a hand over his forehead in agitation.

“All I’ve done is try to help him, Chas,” he said quietly. “He doesn’t want me. No matter how much I love him.” She looked at him sharply. She knew there was something important between her son and Robert that she didn’t understand, couldn’t come to terms with after Robert’s past, but love… he’d never heard that mentioned from Robert before. She didn’t pick him up on it though. Instead Robert kept talking.

“He chucked me like I was nothing, Chas,” Robert said. “Like I didn’t matter. I have done nothing this year except be there for him. You do realise he would be dead by now, if I hadn’t made him talk?”

Chas looked down at the table, ashamed. Ashamed that Aaron had felt like he had no one to confide in, no one who would believe him, except Robert. “I know that,” she said. “And when he’s less angry, less hurt, so does he."

Robert looked at her critically. “Are you really trying to persuade me to get back with your son?” Never thought he’d see the day… To be honest with herself, neither did she.

“Well,” she said, shrugging slightly. “Better the devil you know…”

“Thanks for that,” Robert said sarcastically.

“No, I don’t mean…” She sighed heavily. “He needs you. He won’t admit it, but he loves you.”

“Maybe I need him to admit it,” Robert said. “I can’t be with him when he keeps pushing me away.”

“Robert…”

“No,” he said, quietly but firmly.

“He’d had a really bad day,” Chas said, shrugging. “I think seeing Gordon effected him more than even he thought possible.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Robert said briefly, not sounding sorry at all. “I am sorry that things got tough for him, but… he took a deep breath and tried again. “I didn’t want it to end. I know you and everyone else in this village don’t think I have one, but my heart is breaking right now, Chas. So I’d like you to leave. Please.” His voice had wobbled, and he couldn't bear that. This conversation was over, it had to be.

“Robert…”

“No,” he said, keeping calm with effort. He wanted to scream and cry and tell her that of course he wanted Aaron back in his life. The problem was it seemed Aaron didn’t want that. Chas sighed and got up.

“Don’t give up on him,” she said, turning and leaving, her heels clicking on the floor as she went. Robert sighed, wanting to hit his head against a brick wall. That or whisky. No, far too early for that, but the temptation was still there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite as focused on Chas as I intended, this chapter! Oh well... Hope it didn't read too badly.


	4. Victoria

**_Two days later._ **

Victoria handed Chas two plates for her to deliver and stood behind the bar for a moment, grabbing a lemonade. They’d been snowed under and Marlon had gone God knows where and she hadn’t been able to stand still for three hours. As she opened it, Aaron came through from the back, helping himself to a pint. Victoria was itching to say something, anything but she didn’t know what would actually make Aaron respond to her. He’d probably grunt and just retreat to the back. Before she could think of an appropriate opening sentence, Aaron spoke first.

“How is he?” he asked quietly, keeping his eyes on his pint.

“Do you care?” Vic asked.

“Course I care,” Aaron said under his breath, knowing that they were in a busy bar. He stopped pouring his pint and looked at her. “Is he okay?”

“No, Aaron,” she said quietly. “He’s not. He’s far from okay.” Actually, she’d never seen him this worked up and upset. He was drinking more than she thought was wise and even talking about work contracts wasn’t getting him fired up the way it used to. He’d only answer her in one syllable words, and he’d barely left the house. In fact Victoria was starting to get really concerned about him. She’d never seen him like this, and even though it was cliché, the only word she thought that described him was heartbroken.

“Is… is he sleeping?”

“I don’t know,” she said, though she did. No, he wasn’t sleeping, unless you counted it when he knocked himself unconscious by the amount of alcohol he was drinking. “Go and talk to him. Work it out.”

“I can’t,” Aaron said.

“Why?” Vic asked, her patience expired as she put a hand on her hip. “Too stubborn to admit you might be in the wrong?”

“Vic…”

“What did he do that was so bad?” Vic asked, not caring that her voice was getting louder and that people at the bar were starting to notice their conversation. “Stick up for you? Did what he thought was best?”

“Tried to control me, more like,” Aaron said under his breath.

“Oh, grow up, Aaron,” she said, scowling at him. “You know, you could always talk to him. Talking to me isn’t going to solve anything.” She left the bar for the kitchen, Aaron close behind her going into the back room. Neither of them wanted the attention from the customers in the pub.

An hour later, Vic ventured into the back room, seeing Aaron watching the telly, an empty pint glass on the table. “Sorry,” she said.

“For what?” Aaron asked bewildered.

“Snapping at you,” she said. “It’s just... I know he’s hurting and I know you’re missing him.”

“I don’t…”

“You do,” Victoria cut him off. He didn’t try to protest too much, because saying “I don’t miss him” was a downright lie, and everyone knew it. 

“Fine, I miss him,” Aaron admitted.

“Don’t tell me that,” Vic said. “Go and tell him. I already know how you feel. It’s obvious by looking at you. I’m just not sure Rob does.”

“Of course he does,” Aaron said, looking at her. Did Robert really not know what he meant to him? Victoria looked at him sadly, and it occurred to Aaron that maybe he didn’t.

“Honestly, is he going to be sober if I go and talk to him now?” Aaron asked. Victoria looked at the clock on the mantle piece.

“Probably not,” she admitted. “But tomorrow?”

“I’ll think about it.” Victoria smiled, but didn’t push it. Robert was right about him, he could be stubborn, and Vic didn’t want him to dig his heels in and refuse to even talk to Robert.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That might be it for today, but I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow!


	5. Adam

“Oh, cheers mate,” he said as Aaron brought a pint over.

“I need a favour actually,” Aaron said, watching as Adam started drinking.

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Robert’s not been at work lately,” Aaron said. “Can you persuade him to visit the portacabin up at the scrap yard tomorrow? I need to speak to him. Alone,” he added pointedly. It wasn’t necessary, Adam had no desire to get in the way of a conversation between Robert and Aaron. It would probably end up in violence or sex, neither one of which he wanted to witness.

“You could… call him?” Adam suggested.

“I’ve tried, he’s not picking up,” Aaron said. This was true, but he’d only tried twice before his pride had got in the way. If Robert didn’t want to talk to him, he wouldn’t force the conversation on him. But he had a feeling that in person things would be better, easier to talk their way back to where they should be. Where Aaron desperately wanted them to be.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll try and get him to go. I’m going to have to lie. You know he’s been avoiding you.”

“I know,” Aaron said. “I’d like to change that.”

“I’ll get him there tomorrow,” Adam said. 

“Cheers,” Aaron said.

“Just don’t kill each other,” Adam said. “I don’t think Vic would forgive me.” Aaron smiled slightly, a rueful smile.

“Thanks,” he said again.

* * *

 

“Don’t you ever go to work?” Adam asked the next morning over breakfast.

“Adam!” Vic said, kicking him under the table.

“I do, but I’m avoiding Aaron,” Robert said quietly. “I don’t want to see him.” That was a lie, there was nothing Robert wanted more than to see Aaron, but he didn’t know if his heart could take it. Aaron’d called yesterday, but the first time Robert hadn’t got to the phone in time, the second, he’d talked himself out of answering. If Aaron was going to apologise, he didn’t want it to happen on the phone. And if Aaron wasn’t going to apologise, he didn’t want to hear it at all.

“Ah, don’t worry,” Adam said, seeing Robert‘s apprehension. “Aaron’s not going to be there all day. Got a long drive to pick up some scrap. Big contract.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Adam said. “He’s probably already on his way. Won’t be back until dark.”

“Great,” Robert said. He wasn’t sure he was ready to see Aaron, but the disappointment at knowing Aaron wouldn’t be around surprised him. Clearly a part of him still hoped. “I’ll get up there then,” he said, putting his jacket on.

“It’s still early yet,” Victoria said. “Have some more toast.”

“No, I’ve got loads of work to catch up on,” Robert said. He left and Adam shrugged. Robert knew that sooner or later he had to go to the portacabin. Couldn’t avoid it for work for much longer, and Nicola was badgering him to pull his weight at the haulage company. He had to admit, she had a point, but the last thing he felt like doing right now was working. Especially as he hadn’t been sure he was up for seeing Aaron. The longing would hurt him too much.

“He‘s not ready for work,” Vic said in the kitchen after Robert had gone. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

“It’s better than him sitting here drinking all day,” Adam said. Victoria nodded, because that was certainly true. The letter box rattled five minutes later, someone posting something and Adam got up, coming back with a set of keys. Victoria frowned.

“To the van,” Adam said.

“You just said Aaron was…”

“I lied,” he said. “I’m going to pick up the scrap.”

“So…” Vic said, a small smile emerging onto her face as she realised what was going on. “Aaron and Rob are going to be…”

“Yep.”

“Do they know?”

“Aaron asked me to leave him alone today. He wants to talk to Robert.”

“And…”

“I’m not going anywhere near there,” Adam said easily. “They’re either going to scream and fight and end up punching each other into hospital, or they’re going to make up. Either way, I don’t want to be there when that happens.” Victoria smiled, thrilled with her husbands plan. She was sick of Robert moping around the place. About time they pulled themselves together.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one this time. The next chapter will be longer!!


	6. Chapter 6

Aaron took a deep breath before opening the door to the portacabin. Adam had text him, saying Robert was there. Good. He needed to have a long overdue conversation with him. He opened the door and saw Robert leaning over the desk, frowning in concentration. It only took a couple of seconds for him to look up. When he saw Aaron, his face fell. He looked paler than usual, his eyes bloodshot. Aaron instinctively knew from looking at him that he wasn’t sleeping.

“I’ll go,” Robert said, standing up and gathering his papers. “Didn’t know you were here.”

“No, Robert, don’t,” Aaron said, closing the door behind him. “I want to talk to you.”

“About what?” Robert said guardedly. He stayed standing in case he needed to make a swift exit, though he dropped the papers back on his desk.

“Robert, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Robert hadn’t expected him to say that, and though he’d been longing to hear it, it didn’t fix everything. He wanted those words to have the power to fix them, but they didn’t. The apology fell too short.

“That’s not enough,” he said quietly.

“I miss you,” Aaron said.

“Well, I miss you too,” Robert said. “But I can’t…” He swallowed against the pain in his heart. He’d like nothing more than to be with Aaron, but things needed sorting, and an apology didn’t cut it. “I can’t live always treading on egg shells with you. Worried that if I say one wrong thing, you’ll give up on us. It‘s too hard. I need to know that if…”

“I don’t want to lose you,” Aaron said, taking a step closer to him. “Tell me it isn’t over.”

“Thought that’s what you wanted,” Robert said. “Over.” He tried the word out in his mouth. It sounded so ugly.

“I was angry, and hurt,” he said. “I don’t want it…”

“Aaron, I need you to talk to me,” Robert said quietly. “I want you, you know that. But it hurts so much when you won’t even have a conversation with me. I can’t read your mind. If every time we fight… and we will fight, you know that. If every time you throw the towel in and push me away, there‘s no hope for us.”

Aaron pinched his nose, screwing up his eyes for a moment. “I find it hard,” he said. “To talk to you. You… threw back everything in my face last year. Before you were shot,” he added at Robert’s blank expression. “You’ve no idea how much that hurt me.”

“Yeah,” Robert said, looking down. He had been angry and wanted to throw it back at anyone else. Aaron was, and is the person he knew best so it had been frighteningly easy to hurt him. Push all his buttons. He was ashamed of how he’d acted then, verbally battering him simply because he had the power. Just because he could. “That was months ago.”

“Still hurts, Rob.”

“I thought we’d moved on,” Robert said. “After the past few months…”

“Yeah, we have,” Aaron said. “But…”

“But.”

“Robert, when you do something like destroy the letter, take my choices away from me. Try to talk me into taking money I don’t want… it reminds me of the kind of man I know you can be.” Robert sighed heavily.

“I didn’t mean anything with Charity,” he said. “Did you hear me say “but he doesn’t want it,” because I did. I’m only looking out for you.” Aaron sighed, but Robert wasn’t finished. “I think you should take the money. I honestly do, because…

“I’m not you,” Aaron interrupted. “Not everything comes down to money.”

“You can’t really believe that of me. Now, after everything?”

“No, I don’t,” he admitted. “But, I know money is your weak spot.”

Aaron pulled his chair out from behind his desk, needing to be sitting down before saying the next sentence. “I feel guilty,” he said. “I killed him. My father is dead because of me.”

“No…”

Robert couldn’t get any further because Aaron interrupted him.

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “I reported him, I went to court, got him convicted, got him sent to prison for 18 years, wouldn’t visit him, and… then he killed himself. Then, if that wasn’t enough, I take a quarter of a million from his corpse? I can’t bear the guilt I feel.”

“You are being way too hard on yourself,” Robert said, unsurprised. Aaron always was hard on himself. Robert pulled a chair up and sat in front of him. He reached for Aaron’s hands and held them, the first touch they’d shared in a week. The skin contact was almost electric between them, but Robert tried to ignore that. Aaron needed comfort right now.

“He’s dead because of himself, not you,” Robert said quietly, keeping his hands on Aarons. “He was in prison because he deserved to be. That’s where rapists should be.” Aaron looked away from him at that, still not quite able to bear the words, the cold, hard truth of what Gordon did.

“But he was still my father,” Aaron said. “I can’t… cope with the fact that a small part of me feels sad he’s gone. And I hate myself for feeling like that.”

“Don’t hate yourself,” Robert said. “It’s understandable. Of course it is.”

“I can’t take the money, Robert,” he said. “I would never be able to touch it without thinking of him and what he did.”

“Okay,” Robert said, knowing that pushing him wouldn’t work. He squeezed Aaron’s hand tightly. “I just wanted you to think about it. Not make a snap reaction you’d regret. That’s all.”

Aaron nodded, the silence spreading between them. Robert let go of Aaron’s palms and moved away from him, both of them feeling the loss of the touch. The silence spread out between them and Robert decided to change the subject.

“Why don’t you trust me?” Robert said, leaning against the wall of the cabin.

“I’m frightened you’re going to go and sleep with someone else,” Aaron said bluntly. “And I have no one to blame for that but myself. I was as bad as you.”

“I’m not going to go and sleep with anyone else,” Robert said. “That’s if we…”

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “I want you. I want to be with you, I’m just not sure I can trust you.” That hurt. Even though Robert had known it was coming, to hear him say it still stung.

“I can’t change that,” Robert said. “Can I?”

“Time?” Aaron suggested.

“I love you,” Robert said. “I’m not going to sleep with anyone else.”

“I’m sure you told your wife that too,” Aaron said. Robert looked down. Aaron spoke calmly though, not trying to hurt him, just being honest. “I don’t mean to be vindictive, I just know you’ve spun this out before.”

“Chrissie isn’t the one who ever gave me sleepless nights,” Robert said honestly. “She’s not the one who drove me up the wall. No one else has ever kept me up at night because I couldn’t stop myself from wondering when would be the next time I’d be able to kiss them.” Aaron allowed himself a small smile. “Aaron, I’m not going to apologise for being bisexual,” he said. 

“No, I know,” Aaron said. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I love you,” Robert said. “Only you.” Aaron got up and kissed him, pushing him against the wall. The kiss was soft, gentle and full of love, so different from the passionate embraces they used to have.

Robert caressed his face gently as they parted. “I want us to work,” he said.

“So do I,” Aaron said honestly. "I love you, too." Robert had longed to hear that from him so badly, that he couldn't resist kissing him again, this time more passionately. God, Aaron drove him crazy.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a great ending to the chapter, but I really wanted to get it up today, so I had to stop somewhere! More soon!


	7. Liv

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small chapter to finish things off! Thank you for reading!

Liv went through to the front of the pub, looking for Aaron. She’d not seen him since she’d come home from school. Scanning the pub, she found Aaron in a corner, sharing a drink with Robert. And they were both smiling. They’d forgiven each other for being total idiots then, Liv thought to herself. She couldn’t bring herself to be too disappointed. While she didn’t enjoy looking at Robert’s face every morning, she supposed it was better than the alternative. For the last week, Aaron had been barely responsive to her questions, not even giving her a hard time when she’d skipped the afternoon at school. The Aaron of late wasn’t the Aaron she’d moved in with. Clearly he needed Robert to be happy. Why, Liv couldn’t understand, but she was willing to go with it. Liv walked over to the table, both men looking up.

“I thought we were done with you,” she said to Robert, accompanied by her trademark scowl.

“Your brother thinks differently.” Robert smiled at Aaron briefly before looking down at his pint.

“Are you going to be around every morning again?” She asked. Aaron and Robert caught eyes and she knew she’d walked into something. “I’m hungry.”

“Ask Vic to do you something,” Aaron said briefly. Clearly the conversation was closed. Liv walked away, leaving Aaron and Robert alone again.

“Are you staying here?” Aaron asked, returning to Liv‘s earlier question.

“If you want me to,” Robert said with forced casualness. “I don’t want to push.”

“I do want you here,” Aaron said. “I’ve… missed you.”

“Good,” Robert said, smiling at him in a way that made Aaron's heart skip a beat. They’d spent the entire day talking and they both felt like they were in a better place. Things weren’t entirely fixed between them, but they both felt sure that they’d get there eventually. And neither of them were giving up.

 


End file.
